According to a survey conducted by the Playing for the Planet Alliance, 61.1% of players would be “motivated” to pay for environmental content in games if it adds to the experience.

The survey gathered answers from 389,594 players between March and October 2022. The respondents were players of 11 games from studios that are members of Playing for the Planet Alliance, namely Future Games of London, Oh Bibi, Old Skull Games, Pixel Federation, Space Ape Games, Tilting Point, Ubisoft Barcelona, Ustwo Games and Wooga.

When asked whether they would like to see environmental content in the games they play, the respondents replied “Yes, definitely” at 35.4%, and “Maybe, if it fits the game’s universe/narrative” at 46%. That left 13.5% of the players saying “No.”

35.3% of the respondents also said that they would choose a title with green themes over one without, while 14% said they would avoid a game that has these themes.

52.9% of the respondents acknowledged that environmental issues are impacting them now, with a further 26.4% saying it will affect them “in their lifetime.”

78.6% of the players who answered the survey said that they believed gaming can help to learn about the environment.

Playing for the Planet Alliance did acknowledge that “this report by no means meets the rigour of traditional academic research” and pledged to conduct more research in the future, for instance by partnering with higher education institutions.

The organisation is also planning a two to three-year “longitudinal study to measure and track behavioural impact of green content in games.”